"AT 70,ANJOLIE'S WIT KEEPS HER 17"
AS they say true art never ages. In fact, it gets better and more expensive with time. Veteran artist Anjolie Ela Menon celebrated her 70th birthday last week. At the Habitat Centre, the Prime Minister’s wife Gursharan Kaur released a book covering six decades of Anjolie’s contribution to Indian Art. There was an art exhibition of her work and the launch of her book, both titled “Through the Patina.”
Film maker Shyam Benegal, who unveiled Anjolie’s book, narrated how he has been seeing Anjolie’s art for 50 years. Even then, he said, there was a uniqueness to her work which remarkably is still there. Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Jaitely and the French Ambassador also narrated their personal stories with Anjolie. The gallery was full of the artist’s recent and retrospective works. Gursharan Kaur said with a twinkle in her eye, “Anjolie and her sense of mischief and wit will always keep her 17.”
Way to go dear!
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"PRANAB'S DINNER DIPLOMACY"
The troubleshooter of the Congress, Pranab Mukherjee, is an excellent host. Whenever he wants to discuss something of importance either with his colleagues, UPA partners or the members of the Opposition parties, he invites them for a meal at home. Every partner of the UPA government has shared a meal at Pranab’s table. But recently he invited Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley for lunch. The purpose was to evolve a consensus on the goods and services tax which was generating a lot of hue and cry. Must say that the Opposition leaders came out convinced that Pranab Da was right and they will support him. As the monsoon session approaches, Pranab Da is going to have to host a lot of lunches and dinners for the session to be smooth sailing. Get ready for some baat and bhaat folks.
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"GAMES AND AAM AADMI"
As Delhiites welcomed reprieve from the heat with the showers, they were left wondering whether all this construction in the name of the Commonwealth Games going on in the city is worth it? The construction being made for the Commonwealth Games and the new Metro lines work has dug up the whole city. Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit was also stuck in a traffic jam for three hours last week and is a bit jittery now about the preparation of the Games. It is a nightmare at the moment for Delhi’s ordinary people who have to commute from one place to another for work across their mega city.
And as the final lap of the Commonwealth preparations gets under way the quarrels are getting louder. Mani Shankar Aiyer, former sports minister, has become the latest of the vocal critics, saying that the aam aadmi is being taxed for the benefit of a handful of Olympic Association officials.
Sports minister M.S.Gill too has joined the chorus of “it’s not my job.” Delhi’s Chief Minister, is jittery but not yet part of the chorus. The big names who have cancelled their visit to the Games include the world’s fastest man- Jamaican Usain Bolt. The British monarch, the head of the Commonwealth, is also skipping the Games for the first time in 40 years.
Gill has asked the Commonwealth Games Federation chief to ensure that countries brings athletes too rather than a battery of officials.
India too has played its own role in ensuring top athletes missing the event. It is now likely that the organising committee which has been found wanting on several other fronts did not even do a good job of negotiating with the participating countries with regard to their top athletes.
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